Sunday, October 30, 2011

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune is going with a shocker of a story this morning, one that reaches right into the very heart of certain centers of influence here in Sierra Madre.

The article is entitled "El Monte accuses contractor of fraudulently obtaining federal, state and city funds," and can be accessed by clickinghere.

This follows several recently published reports that both the FBI and HUD have been involved in the investigations swirling around the ill-fated El Monte Transit Village, pejoratively known as the "Billion Dollar Bus Station." With HUD's concern also centered around improperly used government funding for what has become quite a redevelopment debacle. Here is what the SGV Tribune has for us today:

EL MONTE - The city named three companies and 13 people in a sweeping civil action that lays out a sordid scheme to defraud the city, state and federal government of public money.

The lawsuit centers on two troubled development projects in the city - the expansion of Pacific Place and El Monte Transit Village, both of which were to be built in partnership with the city.

It was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in response to a lawsuit from the developer TV, LLC, which the city contracted to build the El Monte Transit Village - a development of homes and businesses along the 10 Freeway.

An affiliate organization, JT, LLC, was also contracted by the city to build an expansion of Pacific Place, which entailed developing a parking structure, office and warehouse space, according to city documents.

The lawsuit alleges John Leung and Jean Lang controlled both companies, creating them to hide "fraudulent business schemes and criminal activity."

Other people named in the lawsuit, including former Sierra Madre Mayor Bart Doyle, are allegedly associated with "a network of sham entities" that Leung and Lang created to "avoid liability," according to the lawsuit.

As Tattler readers are aware, Bart Doyle is known by many in Sierra Madre as the Godfather of the Downtown Specific Plan, a development scheme that would have turned our unique and colorful downtown area into the kind of generic and lifeless crap that can be found in many cities throughout the area. It took a voter approved initiative known as Measure V to stop this crass and greed driven attempt to destroy much of what makes our foothill village the desirable place to live that it is today.

OMG!I wonder if any other of our former Mayors were involved in this or other equally dishonest deals?

I'll never forget the post card SMRRD sent out with the pictures of all the former mayors standing in front of Webb Martin Realtors.They were meeting to try to stop Measure V.Thank God they failed, and thank you to our favorite photographer who was sharp enough to snap that photo.I still remember seeing it posted on telephone poles on Sierra Madre Blvd, like "wanted posters"!

How about all patriotic Tattlers printing at least 10 copies of today's Tattler and spreading them around town?

Many of those who remain supporters of Bart Doyle and his mini-me acolytes such as John Buchanan are people who invested in the Downtown Development Plan, and under various LLCs continue to hold property there. They still believe that somehow they will get their money back. Once a sucker always a sucker, I guess.

9:51am: All those you listed were offered something from the Doyle group. Nothing like being offered something to gain something. The perfect scam.Like promising to pay for two hamburgers tomorrow for a free one today.Oh, you forgot to add to the list, that the Congregational Church got suckered as well.

I respect the people who did get fooled, but now see the truth.The "born again" slow growthers, that realize the folly of the Bart Doyle gang's plans.They now can see clearly that not only are these people criminals, but they would seek to destroy their property values of their homes here in Sierra Madre.To our friends in El Monte. We sure wish you luck in going after these crooks.What happened to you people was criminal.May you get some closure with their punishment.Wish us here in Sierra Madre good luck in getting rid of this disease, Bart Doyle, once and for all.

Joe Blight must really be in a hurry to get out of town now. Wonder what all the local clubs are thinking right now, bet you most of the women in those clubs are going to miss him in spite what he did to our town. Oh wait, maybe he was doing their bidding and messed up so there glad to see him go, who knows, what a story.

12:09 Joe had a lot more than just the women at those clubs believing him, many smart people have bought into the lies that man has told. Our town has been divided by lies, let truth bring us all together to preserve what we have here. United we stand!

OMG! Another first for Sierra Madre! The first openly gay Mayor, Joe Mosca! The first federally indicted former Mayor, Bart Doyle! Can Doug, Rob, and Glen be far behind? It's a great time to be a SMRRD!

and we are surprised because Doyle is a backer of Buchanan, Moran, Walsh and Mosca?

Doyle was the crooked leader back when the water bond mess started and his cronies lied to us about the water pipes to distort Doyle's involvement and hide special pork projects like Buchanan's boondoggle 7 million dollar library plans

what a bunch of idiots we've got running the Council, excluding Mary Ann of course

If "tip toe Walsh" thought MaryAnn and Denise were worthy of her demented tirade what does she have in store for us now that that the CRA and development crowd is now caught with multiple hands in the "cookie jar". And who are the "friends" Moran feels competent to make decisions for the majority of Sierra Madreans?

I'd like to hear from the Real Estate professionals with an acknowledgement that all is not well and as it should be within their profession and the we need to start from scratch with a General Plan that incorporates the 5 Points proposed by the Committee and get the whole town behind it. Lets do it right for a change!

The night Don Watts, Pat Alcorn and John Crawford lost the election to Mosca, Moran and Walsh, Bart Doyle was seen in the foyer of city hall with a big smile on his face and words of congratulations to the city manager, Elaine Aguilar.

A name not on the list so aptly put together by 9:51 a.m. is former city manager,Tammy Gates, who along with Bart Doyle and Michele Keith put together the sham to divert the remaining $800,000.00 of open space Proposition A money that citizen's supported the Mountain Conservancy to obtain for hillside preservation, to the YAC, the biggest boondoggle in town. Just wait, this may finally unravel, too.

I sense a field trip coming on. Can't wait to attend the court hearing on this. Check out a few good Mexican restaurants in El Monte. See what has happened to the old neighborhood. Now I know why Bart was not in the audience of 150 folks who came to hear of the Department of the Interior community meeting yesterday (see Pasadena Star News, pg. 1 today) on the National Recretion Area for the San Gabriel Mountains Watershed study that has been under way for several years.

The night that Zimmerman, Watts and MOSCA (yuck to this last one the SMUCKA) were seated on the City Council I saw the agenda packet and it included two fines: each $5,000.00 one for Finance Director Margie Tucker and one for Bart Doyle, City Councilman (and I do not remember if he was Mayor at the time of the date of the incured fine, wish I did), one was to be paid by the city for missing a deadline--that was for Ms. Tucker but the other one was to be paid for my the person caught in the infraction--Mr. Doyle. Slippery stuff, this, right under our noses with the manipulating of past city manager.

Oh, what evil under the sun!!! Maybe we should have a recall...looks like Joe's getting out before the storm...why don't the G3 just resign while they can...this all is going to reflect badly on them. Nancy can plead senility, but John & Josh should just go. Isn't it wonderful that Bart's big dirty little secret has caught up with him & wonder what else & who will fit under this umbrella of deceit & greed? How great is this! Maybe God has been listening to all our good peoples' prayers to save S.M. from development. "The meek shall inherit the earth" preservationists. America the beautiful has a chance to turn around, yet.

Years ago Linda Thornton and Caroline Brown had to spend considerable amount of their time and money to get the City Council to return the Planning Commission to the seven membership it had for years (it had dropped to 5 due to a member being elected to City Council and one who died and the CC wanted to leave it at 5, needing a change to the ordinance).

One of them had a heated conversation with Bart Doyle at a gathering in town why it was important to have the larger number to represent a wider viewpoint. He seemed to think the smaller group was better and we know greater representation is a good thing for the populace and why someone like Bart would go against that thinking.

Interesting thing is that the Tree Commission was set up with a seven member board but many other boards only have 5. Hum!

And after all the flak about the General Plan Committee even this large group (9) is doing a great job. Yes, yes, I know it was expected that the gang of four (now 3-1) wanted to flood it to dilute it, but, ha, ha, ha it went very well because even though they thought it would benefit them it didn't.

During the City of Bell fiasco I could see our beautiful little village being the next to be caught if only someone could connect the dots to the Great Mr. Doyle and all his dirty laundry and lace curtains hiding his friends.

Actually, no, I do not feel for his friends who joined in with him and the developers. People make choices. They knew who they were dealing with. I know many people in town who had to say good bye to the Doyles because they could see the reality of the greed he was creating.

When the gang of 3-1 goes about their gymnastics of a "decision" to replace the actual vacancy (not the virtual one we have witnessed for 5 1/2 years) of Joe Mosca's exit from the city council we will have ample opportunity to respond and go about the healing of our fractured little town.

Moderator at the helm, catch the f word flinger at 8:28--it will be gone when this is posted but the followers will know that "what the ffffffff are you smokin'?" was addressed to 9:51 so it had to come from one of the poor saps who is on that partial list.

El Monte here, to my coffee bean tatts, just signed on the computer saw the story, in the San Gab Trib, and came here. A day late, but been packing. So glad it is out in the open and that El Monte cross complained. Haven't finished reading everything, but justice is coming and the rock is lifted away.

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